Compulsion
by Brennan4
Summary: Shockwave begins acting in a rather irrational fashion as he oversees Cybertron.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: In this story I use the characters Sunstorm and Mudflap as OCs- of a sort. Neither really appeared in G1 (as far as I can tell), so their appearances are based on their IDW and Cybertron incarnations respectively. Enjoy!

Shockwave looked out at the skyline of Cybertron. He had made a habit out of visiting this tower and examining the domain over which he had been trusted to guard. This had been the 4444th time he had done so since Megatron had left. Just as he had the previous 4443 times, he pondered why Megatron had chosen him to stay behind. He thought, _If I'm his most trusted servant, wouldn't he want me by his side as he crushes the Autobots?_

He used his most prized tool, logic, to formulate an answer he found satisfying. _I'm the only one he feels comfortoable leaving behind, _he reasoned.He had always suspected that Megatron had promoted Starscream so that he would focus his treasonous efforts on Megatron and not the other lieutenants. As for Soundwave, Megatron used him to monitor the other soldiers, so he had to stay with him. _In fact, I'm the only one free from Soundwave's surveillance. Only I could keep Megatron's empire safe and clean while he is away!_

Unfortunately, this truly honorable job was not as stimulating as Shockwave would have liked. Apart from occasional raids by Autobots, there wasn't too much to keep track of. Initially, Shockwave used some of his free time to further his scientific research. Shockwave loved science, the purest expression of logic, but he had o abandon it to support Megatron's revolution. For the first several millennia of his position, he briefly engaged in several experiments.

Shockwave quickly realized that there was no time for his experiments. Although the work could be monotonous, it required his constant attention. While preoccupied with a project, he had let down his guard to a raid, something he never quite forgave himself for. So he put aside his personal interests to serve Megatron's will. He settled into a routine, which struck him as a logical way to increase his efficiency.

While walking back down a hallway, Shockwave observed a maintenance worker removing the circuitry on a wall. Shockwave boiled with anger.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" he asked.

The smaller Decepticon replied, "The circuits in this wall are faulty. They have probably been corrupted, and need to be replaced."

"Unacceptable." said Shockwave. "I specifically told Lord Megatron that Cybertron would remain as he left it. Does it not strike you as illogical to alter the structure of his headquarters?"

The workers stammered, "Well, no. This is strictly a standard procedure. Sir."

"Insubordination will not be tolerated!" said Shockwave, raising his voice. He aimed his arm cannon at the worker and fired four times, blowing his body to pieces. He gathered the remains into a neat little pile.

_You never can rely on anyone but yourself, _he thought. This became especially clear to him during his recent assignment. It wasn't until the Decepticons left that he realized what a glitch band of misfits and psychopaths they all were. Although Megatron showed the path to truth, he tended to attract some… unusual followers.

Nobody was a better reflection of this fact than Sunstorm, whose fanatical religious devotion and pyromania didn't keep him from being an incredibly useful lieutenant. Shockwave entered Sunstorm's domicile, which had been converted into a small chapel. Although Shockwave found this idolatry to be the height of illogical activity, he permitted it to keep Sunstorm pacified. "What can I do for you, child of Primus?" asked the Seeker.

"Please address me as Sir, if you don't mind. I need your natural talents for a moment." said Shockwave.

"What needs to be incinerated?" said Sunstorm. "Sir."

"I had to terminate an uncooperative unit in the hallway. Eliminate his remains in the cleanest way possible."

"I'll get my flamethrower."

####

The next few solar cycles were fairly uneventful, which worried Shockwave. The purple Decepticon knew that Autobot raids came in patterns, with long resting periods between attacks. It was intended to lower the morale and attention span of the target. So every four solar cycles Shockwave made sure to test his security team. Unsurprisingly, the Autobots eventually launched an attack.

Shockwave checked his monitor and counted no less than six intruders in the main generator room.  
Surely they planned to shut down the base's power, crippling their security. He calmly addressed the intercom, "Alpha squadron, we have a code blue in the generator chamber." Within astroseconds, a team of drones led by Sunstorm was on its way to deal with the attack.

Sunstorm burst into the room, guns blazing while he cackled like the maniac that he was. "In the name of Primus and the Decepticon cause, I will smite you heathens with my holy wrath!"

"You need to chill out." said a light blue Autobot who appeared to be the leader. "I'm Mudflap, and I have no intention of backing down. So cut it out with the Messiah complex shtick, you don't impress anyone. "

"Blasphemy!" yelled Sunstorm as he unleashed a barrage of flame.

"You Decepticons all get too worked up. That's your problem. If you all could just relax a little, this war would be over in no time."

Mudflap squirted a brown, oily fluid from a cannon on his shoulder. It quickly doused the flames. He chuckled, "Watch your step, your holiness." He squirted another jet of liquid at the ground near the Seeker's feet, causing him to slip. He laughed as he sprayed the entire room with the fluid. He approached the generator and punched it, finding the large machine was protected by a force field. His troops didn't have the resources to penetrate it at this time.

"Come on, roll out!" he shouted to his troops. They left and transformed to their vehicle modes, and barreled down the hallway. Shockwave emerged and opened fire. He shot two of the troops, who both spun out of control and crashed into a flaming wreck. The rest of them broke out a window and tumbled into the city below, beyond Shockwave's reach.

####

Shockwave entered the generator room to survey the damage. He felt a wave of horror come over him when he saw the filth that had been spewed all over the room. This would take ages to clean up, and the electronics would probably never work the same way again. He didn't even know where to begin. So he just stood, there motionless.

"Are you alright, sir?" asked Sunstorm.

"No, I'm not. This entire room has been contaminated by those wretched Autobots. Do you know how hard cleaning this place will be?" answered Shockwave, his tone becoming uncharacteristically frantic.

"It's not that big a deal…" began Sunstorm.

Shockwave cut him off, "Of course it its! What would Megatron think? He could come back any day now. If he sees I failed to maintain his beautiful empire he'll never trust me again. I've failed. He trudged back up to his tower, his head held low.

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2

I'm so sorry the wait between chapters has been so long. The third and final chapter should be up in a few days. Thank you so much to everybody who gave me feedback.

Shockwave was uncertain as to why his mood had not improved. It had been several solar cycles since the attack on Decepticon headquarters, and the damage had been repaired almost entirely. The fluid that had damaged the generator room had been a variant of Cosmic Rust. Although the scientist in Shockwave was impressed with the chemistry, he loathed how difficult it was to remove. The entire room was demolished and replaced. Perhaps his problems stemmed from other stressors.

_How could an ignoramus like Mudflap synthesize such a dastardly solution?_ _He must have had help form one of his compatriots_, thought Shockwave. He refused to believe that someone as foul and illogical was secretly a master chemist. He thought, _the Autobots must be punished for daring to attack my domain. _He knew exactly what kind of retribution was in order.

The Decepticon Stockades were one of the most brutal prisons in the entire Galaxy. Some of the prisoners of war had been captured before Megatron left. They had spent millions of stellar cycles waiting away in a clinically brutal facility, and the concept of personal freedom was but a distant memory. They had given up all hope of escape long ago as no one had ever survived an escape attempt.

Shockwave approached the drone who acted as warden of the Stockades. He asked, "How many prisoners currently occupy this facility?"

The drone answered, speking with only slightly less emotion than Shockwave, "We currently host 232424 individuals, sir."

"Execute them all within the next megacycle." said Shockwave.

"Are you sure Megatron would approve of that?" the drone inquired.

"Did you just question my command?!" Shockwave shot back. After a moment, he said, in a calmer tone, "Megatron wouldn't want any precious resources to be wasted on these lowlifes."

"I shall do as you command" said the drone.

####

Sunstorm was meditating on the mysteries of the Gifts Primus had given him when he was interrupted by Flatline. The spiky, black and red bot was the residential medic for the Decepticons that had stayed opened his optics and growled, "I'm busy contemplating the mysteries of the universe here, you pathetic worm! What could you possibly have to say that could be more important than the reflections of a Prophet?"

Flatline said with a combination of irritation and confusion, "I would like to discuss the recent actions of our commander."

Sunstorm stood up. He smiled and said, "Why didn't you say so? I always have time to discuss the one-eyed, one-armed, giant purple Autobot killer."

"I have become concerned about his recent behavior. He seems... irrational and unstable."

"Why would you question our leader? A good Decepticon never questions the leader. It is by the will of Primus that he is in command, so we must obey him."

Flatline sighed. He said, "It is also by the "will of Primus" that we have been left behind to babysit a dead planet."

Shockwave suddenly entered the room. He said, "I trust you two are having a pleasant conversation?"

Flatline nodded the worker Shockwave had terminated earlier, he wanted to stay on the purple bot's good side.

Shockwave announced, "I require Sunstorm for a scouting mission of a nearby Autobot outpost. His unique skill set and… unconventional personality would come in handy."

####

Copout was not the most enthusiastic Autobot. Although he hated the Decepticons with a fiery passion, he never was really dedicated enough to risk his life. He jumped at the opportunity to stay behind guard Cybertron, and had landed a position as a security officer for a small outpost outside of Vos. He was guarding the barracks and feeling pretty relaxed, the most relaxed he had been since the war broke out. He heard an aircraft coming in overhead.

He looked up and saw an orange, pyramid-shaped fighter zooming towards the outpost. He turned to run and call the aarm but purple lasers pierced his legs. He sat crippled on the ground, unable to transform. His attacker landed and assumed his robot mode, and turned towards Copout. Sunstorm knelt near him and said, "Let me show you the Light."

With a smile, Sunstorm grabbed Copout's head and crushed it into scrap metal. He looked and saw other guards rapidly approaching. He ran towards cover while unleashing rapid fire laser shots. They burnt and sizzled the metal floor by the guards feet. They fanned out and encroached closer to Sunstorm, trapping him in a corner. One guard said, "You've got nowhere to run, Decepticon!"

Sunstorm said, "Why would I want to run? With the Will of Primus guiding me, I have nothing to fear!"

He pulled out his special flamethrower. He fired in a sweeping arc, setting all of the guards alight within seconds. As they scrambled and writhed in agony as their bodies slowly began melting, Sunstorm shot them all in the head, one by one. He surveyed the melting corpses and laughed. He shouted, "Truly I am the salvation of Cybertron!"

He flew over the main building of the outpost. All of the staff and civilians were hiding inside. He melted a hole in the roof and tossed in a nincendiary grenade. He listened to the cries of pain and panic as he walked around the building, welding the doors shut as he recited prayers out loud. After he was finished, he sat down and meditated until the screaming stopped.

####

Shockwave received Sunstorm's report on the raid. There were no survivors, and the unique radiation his body gave off contaminated the area and made sure no other Autobots would be able to use the outpost. Sunstorm was rapidly becoming Shockwave's most rusted soldier, insane as he was. There was something fascinating about the glowing orange  
Seeker. Although his pyromania and fanaticism were intriguing, what fascinated Shockwave the most was the radiation he gave off.

_What if I could use Sunstorm's natural radiation output? He has proven it can be a deadly weapon in battle. Perhaps I could build a weapon fueled by the energy his body gives off. _

This new idea grabbed hold of Shockwave's processor. It soon became all he could think about. He devoted more and more of his time to making blueprints and studying the orange zealot. At last he came up with a power generator that would use Sunstorm as a power source.

_With this I could prufiy Cybertron. Just imagine, the joy Megtron would find when he returned to discover I have incinerated the Autobot insurgents. He will finally recognize me as his greatest and most loyal servant when I achieve his dream of a pure, clean Cybertron!_

####

Mudflap had zoned out through most of the strategy meeting. It was never like anything actually got done at these things. Everyone knew that the planet was dying and the war was in a stalemate. That was why Optimus Prime had left, wasn't it? So he kicked back and let Chromia drone on about resource management and the massacre at the outpost. At last it sounded like she was finally wrapping up.

"Does anyone else have anything to add?" she asked.

Mudflap stood up and said, "Yes I believe I have determined a strategic weakness in Shockwave's command."

"What is that?" she asked.

Mudflap answered, "He's going nuts. All the time alone and pressure seems to be getting to him. Intelligence indicates that he has become exceedingly irrational and controlling, making strange tactics and ordering executions for no reason."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"I think a good idea would be to make it personal, and push him over the edge until he destroys himself."

To Be continued.


End file.
